Thread: The Best Crappie Lake in Illinois

Originally Posted by Kenny

Ohail6, we fish both Banner and Victoria but prefer MTL, Clinton and Shelbyville...even if they are much farther away. Fortunately we are at a stage in our lives where the price of gas isn't a problem so we like to travel to different places to try. We like to stay at South Fork resort or Cannon Dam when we hit MT..sure is a pretty lake isn't it?

Twain is very pretty..I like to travel around as well..

Welcome bob. twain is ok Lake but if i'm going out of state i have to go to ky lake. HOME OF THE BIG CRAPPIE

I gotta agree with you lamplighter, I think I'm gonna hit KL this fall. Where do you put in at down there?

Gotta agree w/KL as the best out of state. Going down to our cabin near Paris Landing TN one weekend this month. Soon as the weather gets better and the water goes down.

Also, welcome BOB. I'm from Pekin too.

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I would bump this one with the same questions. Have some of these lakes dropped off the best lists? Are the best lakes from 11-12 years ago still the best today? What are your favorite Illinios crappie lakes now?

Shelbyville (catch fish anytime), Mattoon (large fish), Egypt (love to catch the black crappie), Rend (good numbers with good fish mixed in), Clinton (least favorite) in that order for me...

Originally Posted by crappie24

Shelbyville (catch fish anytime), Mattoon (large fish), Egypt (love to catch the black crappie), Rend (good numbers with good fish mixed in), Clinton (least favorite) in that order for me...

Thanks. I plan to make a trip or two to Shelbyville this summer. Haven't read or heard much about Mattoon. I will have to pull up some info on it. Rend and Egypt sound good from all I have heard. They are about 4.5-5 hours from me. I would like to try them sometime. Clinton is only about 2.5 hours. What is it about Clinton? Size, numbers, traffic on the lake, or are the others just that much better?

Originally Posted by mmvikes

Thanks. I plan to make a trip or two to Shelbyville this summer. Haven't read or heard much about Mattoon. I will have to pull up some info on it. Rend and Egypt sound good from all I have heard. They are about 4.5-5 hours from me. I would like to try them sometime. Clinton is only about 2.5 hours. What is it about Clinton? Size, numbers, traffic on the lake, or are the others just that much better?

FYI $75 annual boat fee for Mattoon no day permits